As a doctor, I didn’t expect to find myself living in a tree at the age of 63, but here I am: 82 feet (25 meters) off the ground in a lovely grove of old cotton wood trees trying to stop construction on an oil pipeline.
Aug. 3, 2020─ More than 30 years after the last guidance on the clinical evaluation of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP), the American Thoracic Society – in collaboration with the Asociación Latinoamericana de Tórax or ALAT and the Japanese Respiratory Society– has developed new guidelines for clinicians. The guidelines are available online ahead of print in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Join us on Aug. 5-10 2020 for ATS 2020 Virtual, when the American Thoracic Society will host a mix of live and pre-recorded sessions in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. Press are invited to attend (see press guidelines) and may register now. Same day registration will be available during the meeting.
An American Thoracic Society-led international task force has released a guidance document to help guide clinicians on restoring elective in-person pulmonary and sleep services as COVID-19 incidence decreases in their communities. The new guidance, published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, is titled “Restoring Pulmonary and Sleep Services as the COVID-19 Pandemic Lessens.”
Smoking cessation initiatives notwithstanding, along with provocative public health campaigns and clinical guidance, quitting tobacco has remained elusive for many smokers. The American Thoracic Society’s new clinical practice guideline on treatment for tobacco dependence in adults addresses how clinicians may deal with patients’ reluctance to quit, one of a number of issues not previously assessed in the older guidelines.
Results of an analysis published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society found that Black individuals were twice as likely as White individuals to test positive for COVID-19. The average age of all participants in the study was 46. However, those infected were on average 52 years old, compared to those who tested negative, who were 45 years old on average.
The American Thoracic Society (ATS) is deeply concerned by the Trump Administration’s action today to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO).
COVID-19 cases continue to rise globally. Some countries are still dealing with large epidemics, while others are at various stages of reopening society. Many countries are fearful of a second wave of infection, as a consequence of restrictions being eased.
More research must be done to investigate the role of air pollution on the epigenome in patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), in order to develop strategies that minimize the effects of these pollutants, according to a new article published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
This month the American Thoracic Society (ATS) and the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) launched For My Lung Health, a patient-education website and media campaign. Using public service announcements and an education-based website, For My Lung Health focuses on empowering people from underserved communities who live with chronic lung disease.
Regions with an early interest in face masks had milder COVID-19 epidemics, according to a new letter-to-the-editor published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
ATS 2020 Virtual is taking place on Aug. 5-10, but you can register for “Breaking News: Clinical Trial Results in Pulmonary Medicine,” a preview session taking place on June 24 at 2-3:45 pm ET. Review program details here. Please note that all content for the Clinical Trial Results session is embargoed until 2 p.m. ET June 24.
In a new article, scientists provide an exhaustive, evidence-based review of how COVID-19 droplets from infected patients spread through the air and describe how health care professionals can protect themselves. This Pulmonary Perspective is published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The American Thoracic Society calls for a moratorium on the use of tear gas and other chemical agents deployed by law enforcement against protestors participating in demonstrations, including current campaigns sparked by the death of George Floyd.
A new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines the nation’s current shortage of vitally needed medications, and how this dangerous situation is being made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors provide recommendations on how clinicians and institutions might address potential scarcities of essential medications during the current public health crisis.
The American Thoracic Society is extremely concerned with today’s announcement about changes in how the EPA evaluates the costs and benefits of environmental policy. While the details of economic analysis of environmental regulations are complex, the guiding principle is remarkably simple: compare all the costs and benefits of agency actions. The proposed changes in how costs and benefits are evaluated will sufficiently degrade the credibility of economic analysis conducted at the EPA to the point that it is no longer able to function as an objective policy analysis tool.
A new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society examines ventilation and medication strategies that can help avoid psychological trauma for severe COVID-19 survivors treated for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with mechanical ventilation.
June 3, 2020 –Today, the American Thoracic Society (ATS) announced a $500,000 donation from AstraZeneca to the ATS COVID-19 Crisis Fund, launched to support the Society’s all-encompassing efforts to fight COVID-19.
Today, the American Thoracic Society issued the following statement regarding the death of George Floyd: The recent tragic death of Mr. George Floyd in Minneapolis and subsequent protests throughout the United States and in cities around the world call on us to again examine the role of the American Thoracic Society. As an international professional organization whose members are on the front lines of providing care to all citizens, our members are now experiencing first-hand some of the effects of these events.
In a new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, researchers have been unable to produce two theorized subphenotypes of COVID-19 related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Scientists previously proposed that two phenotypes exist that differentiate patients with more severe COVID-19 and indicate that they should be treated differently. A phenotype is a set of characteristics used to classify a patient, which may influence disease management.
A new paper published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society describes a nimble, pragmatic and rigorous multicenter clinical trial design to meet urgent community needs in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Physician-scientists have developed a communication management system built on a telemedicine platform that can help minimize the exposure of health care professionals to highly infectious diseases while still providing personalized patient care, according to a new report published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
May 11, 2020 -- Today, the American Thoracic Society announced a $100,000 donation from Gilead Sciences, Inc. to support the ATS COVID-19 Crisis Fund. This donation from Gilead is the latest in a highly appreciated increase in funding support from industry.
Today, the American Thoracic Society announced that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has awarded the Society two grants totaling $380,000 to support the ATS COVID-19 Crisis Fund, a newly launched initiative to develop and disseminate research, education and scientific recommendations to providers in the pulmonary and critical care communities, as well as other clinicians in need of expanding their skill set during this emergency. The first grant will fund two new $50,000 grants in the ATS Research Program in COVID-19. The second grant for $280,000 will support the Society’s patient education and outreach efforts related to COVID-19.
Early reports of COVID-19 symptoms and the compelling need to quickly identify treatment options and curb the growing number of critically ill patients have led to erroneous and potentially dangerous comparisons between COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases like high altitude pulmonary edema, or HAPE.
Hospitals facing a growing population of COVID-19 cases need a coordinated approach with a multidisciplinary team to increase efficiency, conserve PPE and protect staff. In “Hospital Preparedness for COVID-19: A Practical Guide from a Critical Care Perspective,” – published online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine – experts from Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center share their roadmap for meeting challenges posed by the pandemic, including an influx of critically ill patients.
Intensivists caution against the use of premature novel therapies in lieu of traditional critical care principles in patients with COVID-19 in a recent correspondence letter in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.
In “Mobilization and Preparation of a Large Urban Academic Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic,”– published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society – experts from Philadelphia’s Temple University Hospital share their contingency plans for meeting an increased demand for hospitalization, as well as their protocols and training plans to minimize health care staff exposure to COVID-19 and ensure proper active and reserve staffing.
New guidance is available for physicians who must go through a number of steps to provide a probable diagnosis of sarcoidosis – an inflammatory disease that affects the lungs, lymph glands, and other organs.
Against the recommendation of the environmental, public health and even the electric power industry, this week the Environmental Protection Agency issued final rules to roll back regulations on mercury and toxic air emissions from our nation’s coal and oil-fired power plants. To justify taking such action, says the American Thoracic Society, the EPA ignored years of precedent – used by both Republican and Democratic Administrations – determining how the agency conducts cost benefit analysis of environmental regulations.
Rapidly escalating numbers of COVID-19 patients suffering from respiratory failure threaten to overwhelm hospital capacity and force healthcare providers into making challenging decisions about the care they provide. Of particular interest is the role of ECMO – extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, a form of life support for patients with advanced lung disease – to support critically ill patients in the current pandemic.
Clinicians grappling with the pharmacologic management of COPD in patients complaining of exercise intolerance or dyspnea now have new guidance. The American Thoracic Society has published an official clinical practice guideline in which a panel of experts strongly recommended LABA/LAMA combination therapy over LABA or LAMA alone. The complete guideline detailing all the recommendations was posted online ahead of print in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Researchers have identified the most common clinical characteristics of 109 patients with COVID-19 related pneumonia who died in Wuhan, China in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a new study published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Today, the American Thoracic Society announced that Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., donated $500,000 to support the ATS COVID-19 Crisis Fund, a newly launched initiative to develop and disseminate research, education and scientific recommendations to providers in the pulmonary and critical care communities, as well as other clinicians in need of expanding their skill set during this emergency. Boehringer Ingelheim is the first to make a donation to the Fund.
An American Thoracic Society-led international task force has released a guidance document to help clinicians manage COVID-19 patients in the face of a worldwide pandemic and minimal empirical evidence to guide treatment. The new guidance – “COVID-19: Interim Guidance on Management Pending Empirical Evidence”– is published as an open access document on the American Thoracic Society’s website.
In a new study, researchers identified the most common characteristics of 85 COVID-19 patients who died in Wuhan, China in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. The study reports on commonalities of the largest group of coronavirus patient deaths to be studied to date. The paper was published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
The Trump Administration’s decision to roll back emission and mileage standards for cars and trucks is bad for respiratory health.
Following reports of the Environmental Protection Agency’s move to implement broad changes that would relax environmental rules, the American Thoracic Society expressed disappointment with the plan.
In a new study, researchers found that half of the patients they treated for mild COVID-19 infection still had coronavirus for up to eight days after symptoms disappeared. The research letter was published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Today, the American Thoracic Society and a unified group of critical care societies issued a joint statement urging the Trump administration and congress to strengthen social distancing requirements in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has reached pandemic status. The statement, in its entirety, is below:
In a new study of patients with severe COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) hospitalized on ventilators, researchers found that lying face down was better for the lungs. The research letter was published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
In support of World TB Day, 24 March, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), of which the American Thoracic Society is a founding member, urges governments to promote tuberculosis prevention as a critical component of TB elimination.
Once-daily treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with an inhaler combining fluticasone furoate (FF), umeclidinium (UMEC) and vilanterol (VI) reduced all-cause mortality by 42 percent, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
A UK study of patients participating in low-dose CT lung cancer screening highlights the importance of spirometry (breathing tests) in the assessment of possible chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and demonstrates that over-reliance on radiological changes alone may result in detection of clinically insignificant disease. The new study is published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
“Worse than the first, and still a bad idea,” was the reaction of ATS spokesperson Mary B Rice, MD, MPH, to the EPA’s proposed rule, “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science.”
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